The history of Netanyahu’s rhetoric on Iran’s nuclear ambitions

For much than 3 decades, a acquainted refrain has echoed from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Iran is connected the verge of processing atomic weapons.

Since 1992, erstwhile Netanyahu addressed Israel’s Knesset arsenic an MP, helium has consistently claimed that Tehran is lone years distant from acquiring a atomic bomb. “Within 3 to 5 years, we tin presume that Iran volition go autonomous successful its quality to make and nutrient a atomic bomb,” helium declared astatine the time. The prediction was aboriginal repeated successful his 1995 book, Fighting Terrorism.

The consciousness of imminent menace has repeatedly shaped Netanyahu’s engagement with United States officials. In 2002, helium appeared earlier a US legislature committee, advocating for the penetration of Iraq and suggesting that some Iraq and Iran were racing to get atomic weapons. The US-led penetration of Iraq followed soon after, but nary weapons of wide demolition were found.

In 2009, a US State Department cablegram released by WikiLeaks revealed him telling members of Congress that Iran was conscionable 1 oregon 2 years distant from atomic capability.

Three years later, astatine the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu famously brandished a cartoon drafting of a weaponry to exemplify his claims that Iran was person than ever to the atomic threshold. “By adjacent spring, astatine astir by adjacent summertime … they volition person finished the mean enrichment and determination connected to the last stage,” helium said successful 2012.

Now, much than 30 years aft his archetypal warning, Israel has conducted attacks against Iran portion Netanyahu maintains that the menace remains urgent. “If not stopped, Iran could nutrient a atomic limb successful a precise abbreviated time,” helium argued recently, suggesting the timeline could beryllium months, adjacent weeks.

These assertions persist contempt statements from the US Director of National Intelligence earlier this twelvemonth saying Iran was not gathering a atomic weapon.

For Netanyahu, the connection has scarcely changed successful decades — a informing that appears to transcend shifting quality assessments and diplomatic developments.